Past News and Announcements

Note: Items of interest to MVS Officials and Coaches can be found in the "Officials/Coaches" section.

USA Swimming's Scholastic All-America Team

Each year, USA Swimming recognizes its members who excel both in the classroom and in the pool. The USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team is made up of high school student-athletes who have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and who have achieved the required time standard in an individual event. To be eligible for this recognition, swimmers must have completed 10th, 11th or 12th grade and must be a USA Swimming member athlete. Eligible times must have been be swum between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. The Missouri Valley Swimming Athletes named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team for 2010-2011 are:

Hannah Angell	Kansas City Blazers
Ben Bravence	Kansas City Blazers
Chris Carpenter	Topeka Swim Association
Aaron Dennis	Missouri State Aquatics
Emily Dicus	Topeka Swim Association
Shawna Elsey	Unattached
Ty Fowler	Tsunami Swim Team
Marston Fries	Kansas City Blazers
Michael Glenn	Kansas City Blazers
Bryce Hinde	Kansas City Blazers
Matthew Margritier	Tsunami Swim Team
Mackenzie Neeley	Kansas City Blazers
Lucas Popp	Wichita Swim Club
Kate Snyder	Kansas City Blazers

MVS Zone Team

Congratulations to all of our 2011 MVS Zone Team members. We had a fantastic meet with numerous best times and fast finishes. Missouri Valley placed third in total team points and we had two high-point winners. Michael Andrew won the High Point competition for Boys 11 & 12 and Libby Walker won the High Point competition for Girls 13 & 14. Many thanks to our wonderful Zone Team coaching staff and helpful parents. A great deal of thanks also goes to the Topeka Swim Association and all of their volunteers. Way to go Missouri Valley! --Coach Laurie Reaburn

Deadline for Mandatory Background Checks

All non-athlete members who have not completed the USA Swimming background check must complete the new background check process by February 15, 2011. Completing a USA Swimming background check is an online process that starts at this link on the USA Swimming website: http://www.usaswimming.org/backgroundcheck. Once you are there, click on "Initiate a Background Check" and follow the prompts. You will be asked to acknowledge that you have read the "Notice Regarding Monthly Searches." You will also select between the Background Check for Coaches & Officials (Level 2) and the Background Check for Other Non-Athlete Members (Level 1). Once on the Acxiom website, you will provide information and payment with a credit card. Level 2 will be $39 and Level 1 will be $19. Be sure to print the "Confirmation Report" (next to last page ) and the "Thank You" page at the end for confirmation that you have initiated a check. If you encounter any problem with completing the check while online, please call Acxiom Customer Service at 800-853-3228 and choose option 2. If you have a question about your background screening requirement please call the MVS office at 785-841-0999.

USAS Launches New Background Check Program

USA Swimming will launch a new background check program on January 10, 2011. USA Swimming is pleased to announce that Acxiom Information Security Services, headquartered in Cleveland, OH, has been selected as the organization’s new background check provider. Acxiom, a pioneer in the industry, is one of the largest providers of background screening services in the USA. Led by nationally-recognized background screening expert Nadell Investigation Services, USA Swimming conducted an extensive selection process receiving proposals from 20 industry providers.

Based on new rules established at the US Aquatic Sports Convention last September, all non-athlete members are required to complete a USA Swimming background check (BGC). The new program will provide two levels of screening. Coaches and Officials are required to complete a Level 2 BGC, while all other non-athlete members must complete the Level 1 BGC.

The Level 2 Background Check will cost approximately $37-$40 while the Level 1 Check will cost between $17-$20. The initial check for both levels is valid for two years. Prior to the end of the 24th month following the initial check, all non-athlete members (regardless of membership type, eg. coach, official, other) will be required to complete a Renewal background check that will also cost $17-20. The Renewal check must be updated every two years to maintain a non-athlete membership in USA Swimming.

At the time the legislation was approved, the deadline for meeting the new requirement was December 31, 2010. With the selection of a provider taking longer than anticipated, the USA Swimming Board of Directors has created new implementation deadlines as outlined below.

Over the next few weeks, USA Swimming will be sharing additional details about the new program as well as directions for initiating the new background check. In the interim, if you have questions about the new background check program, please contact USA Swimming at backgroundcheck@usaswimming.org.

USA Swimming Expands Athlete Protection

USA Swimming and Missouri Valley Swimming have a long history of taking action on member safety. These efforts were expanded when the USAS House of Delegates approved the Athlete Protection Legislation at its 2010 Convention. More information on this important legislation and the athlete protection initiatives of USA Swimming is available on the USA Swimming website.

Dan McAllen, Chair of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations Committee has also issued a Memorandum regarding these legislative changes.

This protection will impact several aspects of what we do. And we must remember that although much of this legislation may be perceived as adding a burden to our clubs and our members, nothing is more valuable than our athletes.

One of the key areas of this legislation was the expansion of the existing background checking program in two ways. First, all non-athlete members (volunteers, officials, etc.) must satisfactorily pass a criminal background check as a condition of membership. This represents between 30,000-40,000 additional background checks for all of USA Swimming. Coach members have been required to pass a background check since 2006.

Legislation was also passed at the convention to require employees and volunteers of USA Swimming, Local Swimming Committees and clubs who interact directly and frequently with athletes, to become members of USA Swimming, and therefore be subject to the background check requirement. This will also apply to club owners. The checks, which have been required every two years for coaches, will now be updated on a continual basis, to avoid any gap in information.

Additionally, the USA Swimming Board of Directors voted earlier this year to implement expanded background checking criteria. Along with the database check, coaches and officials will now be required to undergo a county court search (all counties of residence in the last 7 years) prior to becoming a member of USA Swimming.

With legislation passed on, all non-athlete members of USA Swimming will be required to complete an "Athlete Protection Education" requirement as a condition of membership. The education must be updated every three years. All members must be in compliance with this rule prior to registering for the 2011-2012 season

Guidance on the manner and timing in which these changes will be implemented has not yet been issued, but should be forthcoming soon. As soon as the information is available it will be posted on this website. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance as USA Swimming steps forward with these initiatives to be an international leader in athlete protection policies and procedures to better insure the safety of our children and athletes.

Missouri Valley Zone Team Wins Central Zone Age Group Championships!

The Missouri Valley Zone Team won the Central Zone Age Group Pool Championship meet held on August 6-9 in Lincoln, NE, by outpacing nine other LSCs by a large margin. Our Zone Team achieved a combined score of 3,539 points with the next highest score of 3,003 by Indiana Swimming LSC. The Missouri Valley Zone Team also won the Open Water portion of the meet by outdistancing the other nine teams with a combined score of 307. The next highest team score of 183 was posted by Midwest Swimming LSC.

Congratulations to all swimmers and coaches who participated in these two great meets and achieved the highest Team Score for both meets!

Jarrett Perry Retires from Competitive Swimming

Jarrett, an accomplished swimmer and two-time USA Paralympian, has hung up his suit and retired from the sport of swimming. During Jarrett’s years of swimming he has compiled a long list of accomplishments, including: Olympic Gold and Bronze Medalist, World Record Holder (100 and 200 Backstroke), 100 Backstroke World Champion, American Record Holder, and two-time US team captain. If you are not familiar with Jarrett’s story, he was diagnosed at birth with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome and at two days old had one of his legs amputated. Jarrett joined the Wichita Swim Club at age four and competed in his first national-level meet at age ten. From there, Jarrett’s swimming success really took off. Jarrett has been part of the Missouri Valley family since 1991, and has impacted swimmers, parents, coaches and officials with his warm heart and fierce competitive spirit. Missouri Valley is proud of all Jarrett has accomplished and the positive way he has represented the sport of swimming, the Wichita Swim Club, and Missouri Valley!

New Club Portal Reports from USA Swimming

USA Swimming has created three valuable reports from the SWIMS database exclusively for coaches and clubs. These reports are available only through USA Swimming's Private Club Portal located on their site. For information on these reports and how to access them, please see the document below.

Title IX Complaint Filed Against University of Kansas

The following document contains a Press Release about a Title IX lawsuit filed against the University of Kansas. The gender discrimination complaint alleges the University of Kansas denies males equal opportunity in the University’s intercollegiate athletics program. Specifically, the complaint alleges the University of Kansas discriminates against males in the accommodation of athletic interests and abilities. In a letter dated October 30, 2009, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights stated that “it is opening the allegation for investigation.”

This is the beginning of a campaign to have the men's swimming team reinstated at the University of Kansas. During the coming weeks we may be asking many of you to send letters to officials at the University of Kansas pointing out the value to the University and to the community in having a men's swimming team at KU.

Help Make A Splash In Kansas City

Save a life – help teach a child to swim. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children between the ages of 1 and 14. In poor and minority communities the risk of drowning is nearly THREE TIMES the national average. That’s why the Kansas City, MO Parks and Recreation Department, Kansas City School District, YMCA, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, Midwest Pool Management, Kansas City Sports Commission, and Missouri Valley Swimming have come together on the Make-a-Splash KC initiative. This coordinated program is to develop, fund, and deliver swimming lessons to over 35,000 minority children in the Kansas City area.

We need your help…
...with the fundraising effort to provide operating funds and scholarship support for minority children. This group is currently planning to publicly initiate a fundraising program in January of 2010 with public announcement events in February and May leading up to swimming lessons beginning in June. The national Make-a-Splash initiation is a development of the USA Swimming Foundation and participation is encouraged by USA Swimming. Any Kansas City area swim team wishing to become a part of this effort is invited to contact Joe Ogilvie at jogilvie66215@everestkc.net or Amy Hoppenrath at ahoppenrath@acceleraction.com for information.

Thanks for the Memories

A farewell letter from Gary Bockman, a Missouri Valley and USA Swimming Official.

Make-A-Splash Partnership Opportunity with USA Swimming

Sponsored by USA Swimming, Make-a-Splash is a national child-focused water safety initiative created by the USA Swimming Foundation to save lives. Launched in 2007, Make-a-Splash works by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make-a-Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs, and reaches thousands of children through wide-reaching in-school materials. Make-a-Splash partners with USA Swimming member clubs and non-member organizations through the Local Partner program. The Local Partner program provides the opportunity to make a difference in your community using the power of Make-a-Splash. The Make-a-Splash campaign will help you locally to expand awareness about the importance of water safety, the need to learn to swim, and to make your learn-to-swim program services become more visible in your community. To learn more or to participate, see the USA Swimming publications below.

Many Non-Profits Could Lose Their Tax Exempt Status

Did you know that in May 2010, half a million non-profits could find themselves stripped of their exempt status? The IRS estimates that's the number of smaller organizations that have failed to file a Form 990-N. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 requires exempt organizations that don't meet the income thresholds for Form 990 or 990-EZ to file a new return with the IRS. The IRS created Form 990-N for this purpose, and smaller non-profits began using it last year to report on tax years ending on or after December 31, 2007.

The Pension Protection Act also mandates that the IRS revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization that fails to file a Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, or 990-N for three consecutive years. Revocations will happen automatically beginning in May 2010. A non-profit that loses its exemption because of failure to file will have to reapply to the IRS for exemption.

Experts have long believed that numerous defunct non-profits are listed as active in the IRS files. (Exempt organizations are required to inform the IRS when they go out of business, but many fail to do so.) It is unlikely, however, that these organizations add up to half a million. That means 18 months from now, hundreds of thousands of charitable non-profits, many operating on a shoestring, may no longer be able to accept tax-deductible contributions. It means that half a million charitable and non-charitable organizations could suddenly find themselves required to pay federal income taxes, and be subject to financial penalties if they fail to do so.

The IRS has made a concerted effort to inform smaller non-profits about the 990-N, including mailings to every organization that their records indicate is required to file the new return. It's not surprising, though, that some non-profits haven't heard yet. Think of how many of your holiday cards or business mailings come back as undeliverable.

Smaller non-profits make up as much as three-quarters of the non-profit sector. Collectively they have a tremendous impact and society will be the poorer if these organizations lose their exemptions. But we also believe that tax exemption is a privilege, and that this privilege carries significant responsibilities. One of the most important is to report to the public (via the IRS) on your activities.

There's something we all can do to improve the situation: spread the word. If you volunteer with, work for, or give to a smaller non-profit, make sure the organization's leadership knows about the 990-N. Encourage acquaintances associated with other small non-profits to do the same. If they want more information, refer them to the IRS website page concerning Form 990-N. And while you're at it, suggest that the organizations update their information on GuideStar. Updating is one more way for non-profits of all sizes to reach out to new audiences. There's no charge for updating. Learn more about GuideStar here.

Olympic Trials

Bobby Bollier of the Kansas City Blazers finished 7th overall in the Finals of the Men's 200m Butterfly event during the Olympic Time Trials in Omaha. Bobby's time was 1:57.26. World record holder Michael Phelps placed first in the event, representing some of the toughest competition in the Olympic Trials.

Other swimmers representing the Missouri Valley LSC in the Olympic Trials were Leah Pierce (CSC), Emma Reaney (LAW), Jill Granger (MIZZ), Lori Halvorson (MIZZ), Parker Sargent (SA), and Sharra Stafford (TSA).

Future Grand Prix Meets

We are pleased to announce the University of Missouri has agreed to host the February President's Day weekend Grand Prix Meets for the 2009-2012 Quad:

Our sincere appreciation go to the people of Missouri Valley Swimming and specifically Coach Pete Malone for taking this competition from concept to reality with great success.

All Missouri Valley Clubs

In the past few weeks MVS clubs have held sanctioned meets, duals, intrasquads, and blanket-sanctioned league meets that are not on the Master Meet Schedule. The sanctions for these meets require that meet hosts will email a meet entries file to the MVS Office prior to the meet. In many cases these "meet recon" files are not being received. The consequences of not performing a "meet recon" are that if unregistered swimmers participate in the meet and an accident occurs, USA Swimming insurance is not in effect. Secondly, unregistered swimmers and those who are entered in the meet with ID data that does not match, the SWIMS system will not have their times uploaded into the USAS national database and those swimmers will not have a record of their swims on their USAS "My Swim Page" or an IMX time for their IMX events. Make sure that you comply with your sanction and submit a meet recon file prior to the meet. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Dulcy at the MVS Office at mvsswim@sunflower.com.

A Note from Your Senior Athlete Representative

Most people don't have a clue what the Missouri Valley Athlete Representative does. To tell you the truth, when I began serving my term as Athlete Representative, I really had no clue what I was supposed to do either. So I thought it would help all the prospective and future MVS Athlete Representatives by telling everyone what an Athlete Representative does.

As an Athlete Representative, you are allowed to attend the USA Swimming Convention and have a voice but no vote. This means that you can go to the Convention and speak out on all the issues being debated, but on Saturday at the House of Delegates meeting you are not allowed to vote. Before I go further I should first explain what leads up to the House of Delegates meeting on Saturday.

Each day at the Convention begins with meetings. You get a book with the schedule of daily meetings and can pick which one you think would be most interesting to attend. There are a few required meetings, though, and all the Athlete Representatives from around the country have to attend the Athlete Meetings and their respective Zone meetings, which in our case was the Central Zone meeting. The Athlete Meetings are not only interesting and informative, but you can also talk about any issues that you have with swimming. For example, this year we spent a lot of time discussing how we could make swimming a more publicized sport. Some of our ideas included having a type of little league world series for swimming, or just having more meets like "Duel in the Pool", to bring more attention to our sport. We also discussed issues that we had with our actual meets. For instance, we spent a long time brainstorming ideas on how to make the Zone Meet sessions go faster. Then on Friday afternoon at the Athletes Meeting, we always go over the rules and regulations that will be brought up at the House of Delegates meeting on Saturday. The House of Delegates is the final meeting of the weekend where all the issues that have come about during the week are debated, changed or reworded, then either adopted or rejected, depending on the voting.

But the USA Swimming Convention is not all about meetings. It is really a lot of fun. You go into the weekend knowing hardly anyone and come out with tons of new friends. All the other Athlete Representatives are in the same boat as you are, and they don't know anyone either, so everyone is very eager to meet new people. The athletes also do all kinds of fun activities together. The first year that I went, the synchronized swimmers taught all the USA Swimming athletes a synchronization routine. That was pretty funny to watch. Then on the final night there is a banquet. At the banquet they give out awards to divers, synchronization swimmers and coaches, USAS swimmers and coaches, and masters swimmers. The masters swimmers are some of the funniest people there. They are hilarious. This year the USAS Swimmer of the Year was Aaron Peirsol. It was so neat because I actually got to meet him. We got our picture taken together and I now have his autograph hanging on my wall.

The Convention is an amazing experience and I thought that I should share it with everyone so they would know what the Athlete Representatives actually do. Thank you all for giving me this wonderful experience!

Child Labor Laws and Lifeguarding

Anyone representing a country club, organization or municipality with a swimming pool, etc., may be interested in a recent ruling by the Department of Labor.

It is unlawful for anyone under 16 years of age to work as a lifeguard at a swimming pool, unless they have been trained and certified by the American Red Cross or a similarly recognized certifying organization. If they've had that training, then 15 year-olds can work as lifeguards and can use hand tools to clean the pool and pool area. They can also test water quality and add chemicals. They are prohibited, however, from entering or working in any chemical storage areas, including areas where filtration and chlorinating systems are located.

Fifteen year-olds (even if they are Red Cross trained) are not permitted to work as lifeguards at rivers, streams, lakes, or water amusement park facilities featuring things like elevated slides, artificial waves, etc.

If you have any questions about this ruling, please let Terry Mann know and he'll send you copy of the DOL's letter ruling. You can contact him at:

Remembering Belva Wilcox

Belva Wilcox, Missouri Valley Swimming Chairperson from 1988 through 1990, died Monday, January 10, 2005 in Wichita, Kansas. Belva and her husband Jerry were strong supporters of swimming in Missouri Valley. Jerry served as Chairman from 1983 to 1986. In checking my records (as far back as 1978), Belva and Jerry were both referees at that time. They both gave countless hours to make our sport the success that it is today.

Jerry and Belva both went to school at Tulsa University. Jerry was a petroleum geologist/land man for the Garvey Company in Wichita. Belva and Jerry met at TU and by Jerry’s account he must have been awe struck, even though it took Belva asking Jerry out to start the relationship. They were married in 1954 and had 50+ years together. Belva was an English major at TU and taught in the Wichita school system, but mostly she had to keep control of four children, Victoria Ann, Jeffery Thompson, Christopher Arden, and Andrew Parker. Both Chris and Andy were competitive swimmers. They swam at the West Branch YMCA in Wichita and with the Wichita Y Neptunes.

Jerry and Belva were both MVS referees and KSHSAA referees. Always a good referee, Andy tells me that his mom DQ’d him for a dropped shoulder in breast stroke at a big high school meet. Even after their children were out of swimming they remained active. Belva was a national official at Olympic Trials and she served on the USS Adaptive Swimming Committee.

Belva faced many tough medical problems over the last years. She had diabetes and heart problems that kept her from being active the last 8-10 years. I saw the Wilcox’s a couple of years ago and even though Belva could not get around very well she still wanted to take care of me when I visited them. I talked to Belva and Jerry when the sectionals were held in Wichita last summer.

Duane Smith, MVS Officials Chair during the late 70’s to mid 80’s, described Belva as follows: "She was a person who did life and her swimming jobs with spirit, a smile and a willingness to do whatever she was asked to do to get things done."

Perry Wins Gold at Paralympics in Athens

Congratulations to Wichita Swim Club member Jarrett Perry for winning a gold medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. Perry won the S9 division of the men's 100-meter backstroke in a time of 1 minute, 5.35 seconds. He won by .07 seconds over Britain's James Crisp, the world-record holder.

Perry's backstroke victory came on the final event of his Games. After swimming the fastest time in the preliminaries, Jarrett came back from second place at the 50 split to win the event with a personal best time of 1:05.35, overtaking Crisp in the final 50 meters.

Earlier in the week, Perry also finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke, sixth in the 200 individual medley, seventh in the 400 freestyle and was part of the seventh-place U.S. team in the 4x100 relay.

Caroline Bruce Makes Her Olympic Debut

Wichita Swim Club's Caroline Bruce fell just short in her attempt to make the finals of the Olympic 200-meter breaststroke in Athens, Greece. Caroline posted the ninth-fastest time in the semifinals, missing the finals by one spot. Caroline finished fifth in her semifinal

heat and ninth overall in the two heats. She finished eighth overall in the prelims earlier that morning with a time of 2:27.82. Caroline entered the competition ranked ninth in the world.

Bruce swam the semifinals race in 2:27.60, which was 22 hundredths of a second better than her preliminary time in the prelims earlier that morning, but was 65 hundredths of a second slower than the eighth-best time. Her personal best is 2:27.22, set at the Olympic Trials last month. Caroline went out stronger in the first 100 meters of the semifinal, but faltered slightly in the third 50 meters. She recovered strongly, finishing almost a half-second faster over the final 50 meters than the previous 50.

American and world-record holder Amanda Beard was the fastest semifinal finisher, racing in at 2:25.62. Beard eventually won the final competition for the 200-meter breaststroke finishing with a time of 2:23.37, which is a new Olympic record and earned Beard a Gold Medal.

Caroline Bruce is an Olympian!

Caroline Bruce, a member of the Wichita Swim Club, finished second in the 200-meter breaststroke on Monday, July12th, at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Long Beach, CA. After placing seventh in the semifinals, Caroline came back from 4th place at the 150-meter mark to finish second with a time of 2:27.22. Amanda Beard won in 2:22.44, a world record. Both have made the Olympic team and earned a trip to Athens, Greece for the Olympic Games in August.

Caroline Bruce recorded the best time of her career in the event. Her previous best was 2:27.88 during the U.S. Championships last August. She entered the trials ranked 15th in the world this year and fifth-best among Americans. During the finals, she improved on her semifinal time from the day before by nearly three seconds!

Not only did she swim the fastest time of her life, she also had to beat three former Olympians. Kristy Kowal finished third, 0.77 seconds behind Caroline. Megan Quann was sixth and Staciana Stitts eighth. Tara Kirk, who had the second-fastest semifinal time, finished fifth.

The 200 breaststroke was the third event Caroline Bruce swam at the trials. She made it to the semifinals in the 100 breaststroke and finished fifth in the finals of the 200 individual medley.

Eight Athletes Represent MVS at Olympic Trials

Eight athletes from four MVS clubs were in Long Beach, CA representing their clubs and Missouri Valley Swimming at the US Olympic Swimming Trials. Athletes who qualified for this year's Olympic Trials were:

There were 689 athletes from 248 teams entered in the meet, for a total of 1270 splashes.

Remembering June Madden

June Madden, a true friend of swimming and Missouri Valley Swimming, died November 28, 2003. Many people active in our sport today did not have the opportunity to work with June as I did over a number of years. I want to relate a little bit of history of June as I know it; however I met her long after she had given many hours to our sport as a parent and a volunteer. [read more...]

Timeline for Championship Meet Information

To help ensure that accurate information for MVS championship meets is provided to member clubs in a timely manner, a distribution timeline has been established for clubs hosting championship meets. This timeline assigns specific deadlines and responsibilities that must be followed by each host club and the respective MVS officers. [View the Timeline]

Dues Increase for MVS Membership

The USA Swimming 2002 House of Delegates has approved the following dues increase for MVS members:

Membership Category

Current

2004

2005-2014

Seasonal Athlete

$16.50

$24.00

$1.00/year increase

Year-Round Athlete

$30.00

$45.00

$1.00/year increase

Individual Non-Athlete

$30.00

$45.00

$1.00/year increase

Non-Athlete Family

$45.00

$80.00

$2.50/year increase

(Note: By 2014 there will be no family discount)

There are no changes to Outreach, Sports Medicine, Affiliate, Allied or Life memberships.